CHENNAI: An elderly woman who was brought by her son on a bike and dumped amid thorny bushes at Kunnamancheri village near Ponneri was rescued by police late on Thursday.
Police admitted her to an orphanage on Friday after treating her at the Ponneri GH. Ravi, a mason, and Sankar, a fortune-teller, decided to get rid of their mother Gandhimathi as they could not provide for her, police said.
The woman, who was emaciated due to lack of food, told police that her sons took weekly turns to accommodate her at their houses. After her elder son refused to take care of her, she was staying with her younger son for the past few weeks. On Friday, Sankar took Gandhimathi on his bike, rode 20km along with a friend from his home at Sekkadu near Manali, dumped her and sped away. The woman was struggling there for nearly three hours before some villagers spotted her, police said. The woman, who gave her husband’s name as Radhakrishnan, a coolie, couldn’t say if he was alive.
A few villagers who were heading to a nearby riverbed around 8pm on Thursday heard the woman’s feeble cry and rescued her. She was trapped in thorny bushes and was writhing in agony. The villagers informed police and alerted ‘108’ ambulance service.
Ponneri assistant superintendent of police Kalpana Dutt said, “The woman needed immediate medical attention. A team from the Ponneri police station led by inspector Martin Premraj sent her to the hospital.”
Tiruvallur district superintendent of police S Aravindhan said, “We have not registered any case. We will register a case if she is willing to complain about her sons.” During questioning, the woman Gandhimathi told police that she stayed at her second son Sankar’s house. She was shuttled from her elder son Ravi’s house and Sankar’s house once every week. As her elder son refused to take care of her, she stayed at Sankar’s house for the past few weeks.
Police said Sankar took his mother Gandhimathi on his bike early on Friday. His friend also sat on the bike riding pillion behind the older woman. They dumped the woman in the bushy area and sped away. The woman apparently struggled lonely there for about three hours before the villagers spotted her.
Her husband Radhakrishnan, a coolie, and the couple has two sons Ravi and Sankar. She told police that Ravi worked as a construction mason, and Sankar works as a fortune teller.